The Water Pavilion.

Wang Chengen walked into the central stage with two silver ingots of ten taels and handed them to Li Shi Niang and Zheng Tuo Niang respectively.

"Two people, the saint said, now that the state expenditure is scarce, I really can't give more rewards, only these ten taels of tea and water, don't be too little."

"Thank you." Li Siniang and Zheng Toniang got up and saluted.

"Hey, that's wrong." Wang Chengen smiled and waved his hand, "This is the tea fee that Lord Banzai gave you a reward." ”

"The slave family is waiting for the reward of Lord Long Sui." Li Siniang and Zheng Toniang saluted in the direction of Chongzhen's departure, but when they got up after the salute, they found that Wang Chengen had actually left.

Li Siniang was stunned for a moment and hurriedly shouted: "Father-in-law stays." ”

Wang Chengen turned around when he heard this, and asked with a smile: "What else do you have to tell you?" ”

Li Siniang picked up the pipa and asked, "Is it a change of place below?" ”

"Somewhere else?" Wang Chengen was stunned for a moment before he reacted, and hurriedly said, "You don't need to change places, you two can go back, please go back." ”

"Huh?" Li Siniang and Zheng Toniang were stunned.

This is something they never expected, and that's it?

The saint summoned them to Xingyuan just to show their skills to the salt merchants in Yangzhou?

"The two of you, please take care of yourself, our family will be out of company first." Wang Chengen shook his head, turned around and hurried away.

The two famous prostitutes came out of the side door, a little happy in their hearts, a little stunned, and a little confused.

……

"Father, why don't you fight for the 13 million taels of silver?"

Zhu Cijiong asked Chongzhen with an anxious face: "Right now, the border town is in urgent need of money, and with these 13 million taels, there will be no need to worry about military salaries for at least a year." ”

Looking at Zhu Cijiong, who was more and more daring to express his opinions, Chongzhen nodded secretly.

This is the most basic quality for a general, dare to express and insist on his own opinions.

Well, Chongzhen is actually learning from Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, his cultivation of Zhu Cijiong and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty cultivating Huo Qubing is a routine, to put it bluntly, it is just two words - arrogance! But not arrogant.

Arrogance is the arrogance of thinking and thinking.

Not arrogant means never arrogant in life.

At least for now, the effect is good.

Chongzhen smiled and said to Zhu Cihong: "Hong'er, you come." ”

"Yes." Zhu Cihong replied and said to Zhu Cijiong, "Third brother, there are clouds in the twenty-second chapter of the Tao Te Ching, and the husband is the only one who does not fight, so the world cannot fight with it!" ”

Glancing at Chongzhen, Zhu Cihong said again: "My father seems to be indisputable, but in fact it is a big dispute!" ”

"The Great Controversy?" Zhu Cijiong asked blankly, "Why is my father arguing?" Why didn't I see that? ”

"My father is a big fight." Zhu Cihong said, "Because what my father wants is not 13 million taels, but 100 million or even one billion taels, and what my father wants is far more than the silver that Yangzhou businessmen can take out now!" ”

"Then I see." Zhu Cijiong said at one point, "But this can't solve the urgent need." ”

"Even if you fight, you can't solve the urgent need." Chongzhen rubbed Zhu Cijiong's little head, and said, "Because Ma Mingluo can't recover so much at all, let alone 13 million taels, it's good that he can recover 4 million taels, after all, it's been seven years." ”

Seventy percent of the 13 million taels were divided and squandered by Qu Shangzhong's followers and the sticks under them, even if there were some real estate and jewelry left, they were not worth a few dollars.

So Ma Mingluo can finally recover 4 million taels!

This also includes Qu Shangzhong's belongings, including the Yangzhou garrison in front of him.

As he was talking, Han Zanzhou ran in angrily: "Long live Lord, it's not a pity that Qu Shangzhong, a dog slave, really died, he actually hid so much tax money from the palace and the saint!" ”

Chongzhen sighed twice and asked, "How much silver did he embezzle?" ”

"There are more than 500,000 taels of silver from the cellar alone!" Han Zanzhou said with a dark face, "This is not counting the calligraphy and paintings, porcelain and jewelry he has accumulated, as well as the expenses he spent on Yangzhou Xingyuan, this dog slave, in the past few years, he has also embezzled two million taels from the tax silver!" ”

Han Zanzhou was really angry.

He originally thought that Qu Shangzhong had already given him the bulk of the tax silver.

But he never expected that Qu Shangzhong's filial piety to him was only a fraction!

"It seems that this Yangzhou is really a cornucopia." Chongzhen smiled and opened the account book on the table again, "However, what you said is not right, Han Companion?" Qu Shangzhong's greed for ink should be three million taels! ”

"This ......" Han Zanzhou's eyes suddenly rolled.

"Where is the other million?" Chongzhen suddenly accentuated his tone, "Gonggong Han! ”

"Hooray!" Han Zanzhou fell to his knees with a pop, "The old slave is confused, the old slave should die, the old slave shouldn't be greedy and stretch out his hand to the tax silver, long live the old slave, you will spare the life of the old slave." ”

"Drag it out." Chongzhen Senran said, "Together with Qu Shangzhong, you will be killed!" ”

"Hooray!" Han Zanzhou was so frightened that he screamed like a pig.

The two Yiding had already set up Han Zanzhou and walked out of the hall, and the screams gradually became inaudible.

"These house slaves are too bold." Zhu Cihong said, "Not only do you stretch out your hand to the tax silver, but the amount of ink greed is so large, it is really difficult to atone for your sin!" ”

Zhu Cijiong said: "Father, the garrison eunuchs in other places are not much better. ”

"The eunuchs in the palace can basically be honest and self-controlled." Chongzhen glanced at Wang Chengen, and said, "But I'm afraid that none of the garrison eunuchs sent abroad are clean, and the wealth is moving, and in the face of huge taxes and silver and no one supervises them, how many people in this world can do it without guarding and stealing?" It's hard to change anyone. ”

"Long live Lord, what about those attendants and servants under Qu Shangzhong?"

Seeing Han Zanzhou and Qu Shangzhong end up like this, Gao Qiqian inevitably had some rabbits and foxes, and at the same time, he was also a little lucky, fortunately he was a eunuch in the prison army, and he didn't have so much tax money in his hands.

"It's all handed over to the Yangzhou government to dispose of." Chongzhen said coldly.

"There is also the cash and other property that have been copied out and handed over to the Yangzhou government."

"Huh? The copied silver will also be handed over to Yangzhou Mansion? Gao Qiqian asked with some pain.

"How?" Chongzhen's gaze suddenly turned cold, and he stared at Gao Qiqian, "Do you have a different opinion with Gao Companion?" ”

"Uh, no, no, the old slave doesn't disagree." Gao Qiqian shook his hands, and his soul was about to be scared out.

"No, that's the best." Chongzhen snorted and said, "I will ask you to go to Yangzhou Mansion and hand over all the criminals and stolen money to the Yangzhou Mansion." ”

"The old slave will do it."

……

The Tang newspapers from Huai'an and Yangzhou were sent to Nanjing almost at the same time.

Along with it was a secret letter from Huai'an.

Shi Kefa immediately asked the old servant to invite Gao Hongtu and the other three over.

After reading two Tang newspapers and a secret letter, the four of them fell silent.

The two Tang newspapers tell the beginning and end of the two events that happened in Huai'an and Yangzhou Mansions, which are concise but clear.

The secret letter was sent by Shi Kefa's student and a fellow acquaintance of Huai'an Mansion, in which he said some inside stories that were not mentioned in the Tang newspaper, such as Chongzhen's visit to Lu Zhenfei in prison.

Even the dialogue between Chongzhen and Lu Zhenfei is clearly written.

The energy of the Donglin Party is really not small, and this kind of secret can be heard.

After a long time, Gao Hongtu frowned and said, "What does the Holy Lord want?" The governors of the world want to learn from Lu Zhenfei, so what is the use of our cabinet? ”

"Gao Ge Lao, be cautious!"

Shi Kefa's rare accentuated tone of voice.

Gao Hongtu snorted lightly and stopped talking, criticizing the monarch's father behind his back for indeed committing a taboo.

"Lu Zhenfei's matter will end here, let Luo Wanxiang and Qi Biaojia withdraw their scripts." Shi Kefa finally came up with the decision of the first assistant, "The rest of the things will be talked about when the saint returns to Beijing." ”

"Then let's do as Shousuke wants." Jiang said Guangdao.

"The servant also agrees with Shousuke's opinion." Xie Xuelong echoed.

Gao Hongtu snorted from his nostrils, and reluctantly agreed.

Shi Kefa's mood improved, and he said: "What do you think about the matter in Yangzhou?" ”

"This is a great thing!" Jiang Yueguang said with a smile, "The people of Yangzhou have been suffering from the mine prison and tax envoys for a long time, and the removal of the Yangzhou Garrison Eunuch Office by the Holy Lord this time is really too happy!" ”

"Not bad." Xie Xuelong also echoed, "It's very happy! ”

"But the servant thought that it was not enough to remove the Yangzhou garrison eunuchs." Gao Hongtu snorted and said, "We should take this great opportunity to persuade the Holy Lord to remove the garrison eunuchs from all over the world!" ”

"The garrison eunuchs in the whole world are removed in one piece? Is this possible? ”

Jiang Yueguang shook his head and said, "The Holy Lord will not agree to it anyway." ”

"It's man-made." Gao Hongtu said angrily, "What if it is done? ”

Xie Xuelong said: "If this matter is done, it will be the merit of the community, and the benefit will be in the future!" ”

Shi Kefa was a little moved, he was an honest official, his family and clan were extremely simple, and the only thing he pursued was to clear his name, and Xie Xuelong said that the merit was in the society and the benefit was in Qianqiu.

If he can really accomplish this political authority that is enough to be remembered for eternity, then his name of Shi Kefa can undoubtedly be recorded in history and remembered by future generations.

Thinking of this, Shi Kefa immediately made a decision.

"Elder Gao Ge is right, it's man-made." Shi Kefa said solemnly, "And we might as well set the goal bigger, we not only have to persuade the Holy Lord to remove the mine supervisors and tax envoys from all over the world, but also persuade the Holy Lord to add an article to the Emperor's ancestral teachings, and the future kings will never be allowed to set up mine supervisors and tax envoys to exploit the small people!" ”

"Yes, yes, it's still Shoufu who sees thousands of miles." Gao Hongtu was convinced this time.

"We must write the Ming Dynasty's ancestral teachings that will never allow the establishment of mine supervisors and tax envoys, and set rules for future generations of kings, even if it is the respect of the Ninety-Five, you can't act recklessly!"

"The servants couldn't agree more." Jiang Yueguang and Xie Xuelong nodded again and again.

It is rare that the opinions of the four cabinet elders are highly unanimous, and this matter should be decided.

Gao Hongtu also proposed: "This time the saint returns to Beijing, he will definitely discuss the amount of state expenditure with the servants, and then let Zhang Youyu take the opportunity to bring up this matter." ”